Tack and tack clip



1942- -w. SORENSON 2,293,862

TACK AND TACK CLIP Filed June 2s,' 1940 I? I j INVENTOR 2/ W. L- Sore/2904 ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 25, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TACK AND TACK CLIP Wendell L. Sorensonf, Great Neck, N. Y.

Application June 28, 1940, Serial No. 342,852

4 Claims.

This invention relates to tacks constructed from sheet metal and having the prong or shank punched from the head of the tacks and to a gang or clip of such tacks adapted for use with a tack driving device arranged with a magazine for a gang of tacks and means to feed the gang of tacks longitudinally of the magazine and position the leading tack in the path of movement of a reciprocatory hammer to drive the tack.

It is an object of the invention to provide an improved tack of this character wherein the prong is arranged in the head to provide sufficient material of the head surrounding the prong to receive the driving force of a hammer blow without distorting or breaking the tack head.

It is another object of the invention to provide a tack of this character having a prong tapering from the head to a point and of angle shape in cross section with the angle portion of the prong extending toward the center of the head whereby to give greater stability and penetrating strength to the prong.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a gang or clip of tacks comprising a plurality of heads severed from a metal sheet or strip and the heads having prongs punched centrally from the material of the heads, and said heads connected to each other by portions integral with and of less width than the heads extending in alinement with each other from an intermediate portion of the tack heads, and said portion weakened and rendered more fragile than the material of the heads, whereby the gang of tacks are adapted to be fed longitudinally by a feeding means of a tack driving device engaging the openings or the rearward edges of the heads and position the forward tack to be severed from the gang of tacks and driven by a hammer reciprocatory transversely of the path of feed of the gang of tacks.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the detail description thereof.

In the drawing accompanying and forming a part of this application, Figure 1 is a top plan view of a gang of tacks forming the embodiment of this invention.

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of a gang of tacks looking at the bottom of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a top plan view, on an enlarged scale, of a tack severed from a gang of tacks.

Figure 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of a severed tack taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 3 looking in the direction of the arrows to show the formation of the prong of said tack.

Figure 5 is a top plan view of a gang of a modified form of tacks having a pair of prongs formed from the material of the head of each tack.

Figure 6 is an end elevational view of the gang of tacks shown in Figure 5.

In carrying out the embodiment of the invention shown in Figures 1 to 4, inclusive, a gang or clip of tacks is punched or stamped from a sheet or strip of metal shown in dotted lines at 1 in Figure 1 by suitable die mechanism, not shown, to form a plurality of oblong body members 8 to constitute the heads of the tacks having arcuate end edges 9 and straight parallel side edges Ill, and said body members being connected to each other by portions ll integral with and of considerably less'width than the length of the body members and extending from the straight side edges I0 midway of the arcuate end edges 9. The connecting portions l I are of a length to separate the body members from each other a suitable distance, as shown at l2 in Figure 1, to permit the engagement of feeding means of a tack driving device with the side of a tack body to feed the.

gang of tacks longitudinally and position a tack body or head relative to a reciprocating hammer or ram, not shown. The portions II are weak-' ened whereby a tack may be readily separated from. the tack clip, as by the device to drive the tacks. .As shown, the tack connecting portions I I are weakened by reducing the thickness of the material thereof and rendering it more fragile, as by swaging, as shown at l3 in Figure 2, and may be effected by means arranged on the die mechanism for forming the gang of tacks.

Each tack body or head 8 is arranged with a piercing prong or shank l4 extending laterally from a face of the head and formed from the material of the head by punching or stamping said prong or shank from the material of the center portion of the head by a compound severing, bending and shaping die or a series of severing, bending and shaping dies. The prong or shank is formed from a V-shaped portion severed by a V-shaped incision I5 from the tack head having the angle on the longitudinal center of the head, and the angle and the ends of the legs of the incision spaced from the arcuate end edges 9 equal distances and of sufiicient extent to provide adequate material surrounding said incised portion to receive a driving blow without distorting or rupturing the tack head. After the incision is made, the material within the incision is bent at the base thereof to extend laterally from the under face of the head 8 substantially at a right angle thereto, as shown in Figures 2 and 4, and

which will form a triangular opening IS in the head, and the material is shaped to V-shape in cross section with the angle portion of said V at the base or juncture thereof with the tack head extending into the opening I6 midway of the tapering sides thereof, as shown at H. The prong l4 so formed will taper from the base at the juncture thereof with the head to a point I8. The extending of the V-shaped base portion I! of the prong into the opening [6 reinforces the prong and will prevent the prong spreading out and flattening or being bent when it is driven into a comparatively hard material due to the material of the head spanning the V-shaped recess in the prong, as shown at I9. The openings 16 are in alinement with each other and the connecting portions I I extend transversely and centrally of said openings, so that the openings may be engaged by the feeding means of a tack driving device to position successive tacks of the tack clip relative to a driving hammer of said driving device.

In Figures and 6 there is shown a modification of the tacks shown in Figures 1 to 4, inclusive, wherein tack heads 20 of greater length than the heads 8 are provided to permit the punching of two prongs 2! from each head in the manner described in connection with the tacks shown in Figures 1 to 4, inclusive, so that a pair of openings 22 are formed in each head with the pointed or V-shaped ends thereof extending toward and spaced from each other a distance to provide sufficient material of the head between said ends of the openings to sustain the force of a hammer blow without said material breaking, as shown at 23 in Figure 5. The heads 20 are connected to each other by integral portions 24 which are similar to the portions H and weakened by swaging said portions, as shown at 25 in Figure 6.

In the use of the gang of tacks shown in all of the figures, the gang is fed longitudinally of a suitable magazine, not shown, and the leading tack is positioned in the path of a reciprocatory hammer of a tack driving device. The leading tack may be severed from the gang by the hammer or by separate means operating prior to the reciprocation of the hammer relative to the magazine, but in either case the weakened connecting portion II or 24 is severed intermediate the side edges 10 of adjoining tacks and sections of said severed portions II or 26 will project laterally from said edges H), as shown at 26 in Figure 3, and when the tack is driven home said projecting portions will be flush with i the surface of the material into which the tack is driven.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. A gang of tacks for use in a tack driving device provided With a hammer, consisting of a plurality of heads, prongs punched from the material of the center portion of the heads and bent laterally of the head, and portions integral with and of less width than the length of the heads and connecting the heads in spaced relation to each other and said portions weakened by reducing the thickness thereof by swaging to facilitate separating the heads from each other at said connecting portions.

2. A gang of tacks for use in a tack driving device provided with a hammer, comprising a plurality of heads, a prong punched from the material of each head by a V-shaped incision, bent laterally of the head and arranged to right angle shape in .crOss section with the angle projecting into the opening formed by the incision and forming the prong of channel shape having the side walls tapering from the head to a point and the channel closed at the wide end by the material of the head, and portions integral with and of less width than the heads connecting the heads and extending transversely of the opening in the heads.

3. As an article of manufacture, a one piece tack consisting of a sheet metal head substantiallyv of rectangular form having a V shaped incision disposed Within the marginal portion of the head with the point and ends of the incision spaced equal distances from the adjacent edge portions of the head, arranging the head with a V shaped tongue, and said tongue bent to extend laterally from the head and shaped to right angle form in cross section to form the tack prong, the portion of the material of the head at the juncture of the prong conforming to the angular shape of the prong with the opposite sides of said portion converging from the diverging ends of the V incision toward each other into the opening formed by the tongue in the head with the angle portion of the prong extending for the entire length thereof at a right angle to the angle of said portion of the head and forming the prong with two equal triangular portions.

4. As an article of manufacture, a sheet metal tack comprising an oblong head having straight parallel side edges and arcuate end edges, and a pair of prongs punched from the material of the head by V shaped incisions extending longitudinally between the parallel side edges with the angles of the incisions spaced from each other a distance equal to the distance between the ends of the incisions and the adjacent edge portions of the head, the prongs being bent laterally from the head and arranged to right angle shape in cross section, the junctures of the head with the prongs being extended into the openings formed by the incisions and the right angles of the prongs forming each prong with two equal right angled triangular portions terminating in a point and forming a tapering channel closed at the base of said portions by the material of the head.

WENDELL L. SORENSON. 

